Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-11

Harrison, Jarvis, Knittle, Mcdonald,
| Macmanus, Simkins, Terrell, Woods and
Woodward; nays, Senators Bell, Glass,
cock and Lane.
THE JUDGE WILLIS CASE.
When the special committee on the
Judge Willis case met this evening, q let
! ter from Judge Silas Hare to Judge Willis
was read by Major Walton, counsel for
Willis, in which Judge Hare stated in
| substance that Mr.. Gass, one of the spe-
| cIal sargeantS-at-arms, sent to the Pan
| handle to summon witnesses in the case,
| had, while on the train en- route for Yer
non, informed him (Juige Hare) that he
! wv. d. Gass) was the man who had hunt
! ed up facts against Judge Willis, and
| was instrumental in bringing up the
! charges against Judge Willis, saying that
! he knew that nothing could be made of
| the present charges, bat that he was GO
; ing up in the Panhandle to hunt up proof
! that would show that Judge Willis was in
| COLLISION with Charles Goodnight. Maj or
| Walton asked the committee to ct once
| recall Mr.. GaSs and deal with him as they
| thought best.
AttGrney-General Hogg said while he
was willing that Mr.. Gass, if the facts
were proved to be true, should be dealt
| with and disgraced, as his action would
be more injurious to the state than the
defendant, and when the proper time
came ne would urge as strongly as the
defense his dismissal and disgrace, but
he was not prepared to condemn Mr.
Gass unheard. He would join the de-
fendant's counsel in asking that no more
processes be placed in Mr.. Gass' hands
| until the facts are learned.
Major Walton then asked that the
Attorney General be required TO state
what he expected to prove by the wit
Misses sent for in the Panhandle.
The committee refused to entertain
Walton's request. 1t was then arranged
that the defendants witnesses could be
examined while waiting for witnesses for
the prosecution.
Judge Willis was then sworn and teSti
fed i'll substance the same ss the matter set
out in lis published answer to the charges
as they appeared in print some time
past. He acknowledged that the grand
jury who had been drawn by the jury
commissioners for the term OF the court
held by him in July, 1886, were impanneled
and charged by him at the January term,
in 1886; that Charles Goodnight Yves fore
man, and that ee received their bills when
returned by them. He did not remember
whether the cases were docketed then or
afterward. He didrOt know that any OF the
grand jury had indicted themselves al
that term because he handed the bills to
the clerk without examining them. He
did not know at the July term that Sny
Investigation into illegal land Enclosures
would be made at the January term.
Charles Goodnight, as foreman, signed
all the indictments against himself and
others indicted at the same time. Dis
triCt Attorney Woodman came to
him during the term of court at which
these indictments were found, and asked
if the foreman Of grand Jury could sign
bills against himself. told him he could
sign them himself if he wanted to. did
not know then that the grand jury would
indiCt Goodnight, nor that ne had vio-
lated the Enclosure act. Goodnight was
put on bail before me. w. II.
Woodman was prosecuting attorney.
Goodnight had John Browning, G. A.
Brown and Mr.. Ridgeley as counsel.
The petit Jury that tried this case was
also drawn at the previous July term.
The state and defendant accepted the
jury, no challenges were made. l did
not know that any of the jurors were in
Goodnight's employment. l do not
know it now. 1 did not know
that others indicted in similar cases sat
on Goodnight's jury. l could not pass on
the competency of jurors when no chal
lenges were made. | saw no Juror l
thought incompetent; if l had l could
have done nothing unless he was chal-
lenged.
Pending Judge Willis examination the
committee adjourned until $50 o'clock
il the afternoon.
PROHIBITION.
Senator H0uston's report for the COM
mittee on constitutional Amendments,
favoriDg the House joint resolution to
submit the question of prohibition to g
vote of the people. foreshaGOws the GdOp-
ton of the resolution by the Senate. 1t
seemed to be tacitly understood by the
members from the beginning of the ses.
sion thai the people should be given 9
chance to settle the question at the bsl-
lot box.
CONVICT LABOR.
The old hut unsettled questions relat-
ing TO the management of penjtcntiary
convic,s Is always presenting new fea
lures for legislation.
Senator Fields proposes in bill intro
duCed to provide for the efficient manage
ment of the state penitentiaries, to pre-
vent the lease of pri oners and to limit
the number of convicts to be
hired to any one person on farms to not
less than fifty nor more than 100. This
bill, it is thought, ii it passes and be-
comes law, will, to great extent, miti- |
gate the evil complained of by people |
who live in sections where the convict |
lsbor system is said to be injurious to |
the interests and prosperity of the in
habitants.